Coordinated System of Professional Development

Section 1012.98, Florida Statute, School Community Professional Development Act, states that the Department of Education, public
postsecondary educational institutions, public school districts, public schools, state education foundations, consortia, and
professional organizations in this state shall work collaboratively to establish a coordinated system of professional development.
Elements of the statewide system are distributed among these collaborative partners.

The scope, focus and required elements for Florida's professional development system are set forth in a series of connected statutes
and State Board of Education rules. Through statutes and rules, Florida continues to address the importance of professional growth for
Florida educators and the essential need for school districts to maintain professional learning systems. The importance of professional
growth in the life of a Florida educator is evidenced through elements such as requiring college credits or the equivalent through
inservice for recertification, and the Principles of Professional Conduct for the Education Profession in Florida (State Board of
Education Rule 6A-10.081(1)(b) which states that: "…the educator will therefore strive for professional growth…"

The state's recognition of the importance of a systemic process for enabling professional learning is evident. Every school district in
Florida is required by law to provide a high quality professional learning system for its employees. To support and focus this aspect
of quality school improvement, the state has several linked systemic elements.

Each district reports professional learning expenditures in state survey data.

Each district approves a master inservice program annually aligned with needs assessments.

Each district with preparation programs has the program(s) reviewed and approved by the Department.

State Board of Education Rule 6A-5.071, F.A.C., Master Inservice Plan Requirements, includes state-adopted standards for
high-quality professional development, the Florida Professional Development System Evaluation Protocol, that guide implementation of
the districts' professional learning systems.

The Department of Education conducts site reviews (currently on a four year cycle) of each district's professional learning system
to guide its alignment with the protocol standards.

Contributions to the state system are provided through the various collaborating partners: